Top 10 Tips For Improving Your Time Management Skills

Procrastination is a time-consuming and costly habit. It prevents you from accomplishing the things that need to be done most. And time management skills are essential for getting more done in less time! That’s why I’ve compiled this list of 10 time-efficient tips on how to overcome procrastination and improve your time management skills – so you can get what needs to be done, done!

1. Set a timer for 30 minutes and work on your task.

When you’re focused on a task, it can be easy to lose track of time. It’s not uncommon for someone who is engrossed in their work to look up and see that hours have passed by without moving forward much at all. This type of thing happens because we usually only notice when an activity isn’t going well-a lack of progress or the feeling that we’re spinning our wheels will prompt us to take stock of how much time has gone by and if there might be another way to approach the problem.

Our brains are wonderful, complex things. We have a limited amount of time in our day, and we need to make the most out of it with as little wasted energy as possible.

So when you set your timer for 30 minutes, you’re actually forcing yourself to focus on your task at hand so that when the timer goes off, you’ll feel accomplished without feeling like there’s more work left undone or being incomplete.

2. Use the Pomodoro technique to break down tasks into manageable chunks.

To-do lists are notoriously difficult to manage, but the Pomodoro technique can be a powerful way to break down tasks into manageable chunks. Let’s walk through how it works and why you should try it out!

The Pomodoro Technique uses 25 minutes of work followed by 5-minute breaks as its basic unit of measurement. Then, these units are repeated until your task is completed or for a total duration of 4 hours. This system has been shown to help people accomplish more in less time because they stay focused on one thing at a time without distraction.

You’ll have plenty of energy left for the rest of your day after using this method because it takes advantage of how our brains are wired. In fact, studies show people who use this productivity technique feel less stressed than those who don’t!

3. Get up from your desk every 20 minutes and take a short walk or stretch.

It’s no secret that sitting for too long can have negative effects on your health. But it turns out the length of time you sit doesn’t matter as much as how often you get up and move around.

So, make sure to take a break every 20 minutes or so by getting up from your desk, walking around for a few minutes, and stretching if necessary!

If this sounds like an unreasonable goal for whatever reason (we understand!), then try setting reminders throughout the day to remind yourself when it’s time to stop working and start moving again.

4. Create an “Eat that Frog” list of all the things you need to do, rank them by priority, then tackle one at a time.

If you want to be more productive, one of the best things you can do is create an “Eat that Frog” list. This means making a list of all the tasks and activities that need to get done, then ranking them by priority. Then, tackle your most important task first in the morning when your brain has its highest cognitive ability.

The key is not to get overwhelmed by feeling like millions of things for you to do; break down those projects into manageable chunks so they don’t seem as scary or daunting anymore.

5. Reward yourself with something after completing each task on your list (e.g., watch TV). 

If you’re looking to get more done and have better time management skills, try rewarding yourself after completing each task on your list.

For example, if you complete a chore such as cleaning the kitchen floor or making dinner for the family, allow yourself some downtime with fun like watching TV. The key is not to go overboard because that can lead to overindulgence in mindless activities, which could ultimately sabotage your efforts at getting anything productive done!

6. Take breaks throughout the day to keep yourself refreshed. 

The best way to keep your brain fresh is by taking breaks. It’s important to take time for yourself throughout the day, even if it’s just a few minutes here or there. Time management also includes taking care of yourself.

Dr. Sara Mednick has some great tips on how you can break up your work routine and not feel guilty about it! Break out of your comfort zone and try something new this week, like meditating or practicing yoga at lunchtime to get more done during the rest of the day without feeling drained when you’re home with family after hours.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it can be hard to take a break from your work. But taking periodic breaks throughout the day is hugely important for productivity and mental health. In fact, one study found that people who took at least two short breaks during their 8-hour workday were less likely to experience burnout or have feelings of low self-esteem than those who didn’t!

7. Find out what motivates you – is it money, power, creativity…? 

One of the most important things you can do to manage your time well is find out what motivates you. For example, do you get a rush when you’re climbing up the corporate ladder? Is it all about creativity for you? Or are you motivated by power and money more than anything else? Once we know how to motivate ourselves in different ways, sometimes our problem becomes easier to solve.

If a desire for money drives you, focus on tasks that can bring in revenue right away. Power-motivated individuals should work on projects where they have control over outcomes. And those who are creatively inclined will find themselves most satisfied when pursuing new ideas and challenges – even if they don’t always see immediate results!

8. Identify what’s getting in the way of achieving this motivation and find ways around it (e.g., find another way to be creative). 

Being motivated is a major factor in improving your time management skills. What’s the number one thing that gets in your way of motivating yourself? If you know what it is, then you can find a way around it.

For example, if there are too many distractions at work or school to get anything done, maybe you should try working somewhere else for a while. Or if making creative decisions feels like too much work when they don’t have any consequences anyway (such as how I feel about my own blog posts), maybe I shouldn’t make them anymore and instead focus on other parts of the business that do pay off!

Whatever’s getting in the way of motivating yourself – identify it and find ways around it so that motivation doesn’t elude you ever again.

9. Make a daily plan for how you’re going to spend your time so that you don’t waste any more than necessary (including downtime).

If you’re like most people, you have trouble figuring out how to manage your time. It can feel impossible to get everything done daily without feeling stressed or frustrated with yourself for not finding more hours in the day. But there is hope! You don’t need more time; you need better management of what you already have available. That starts by making a plan every morning (or even evening) that dictates when and where each task will be accomplished so that nothing gets forgotten about or left undone at any point during the day.

10. Track how much time you use throughout the day and make adjustments where needed based on those findings.

Another great way to improve your time management is to experiment and track everything for a week. Keep an eye on when you work best, and where are the times that things slow down or stop entirely? What changes can be made to keep up with productivity?

Is there anything else we should look at from this data set – any other important information that will help us determine if adjustments need to be made based on these findings?

For example, you’ve been working hard on a project for weeks, and it seems to be going well. But then, something happens – you get distracted or lose focus because of an urgent email that needs your attention. It could even happen in the middle of the day when you are feeling most productive. So the question becomes, “what can we do about this?”

Another thing to look at from this data would be other important information that may help us determine if adjustments need to be made based on our findings? This includes determining how much time was spent doing what type of work (creative vs. administrative), whether there were any interruptions, time spent on breaks, and personal tasks.

Let me know how you’re managing your time now. Do you think you’re doing good or could improve? I would love to hear about it. So let me know in the comments below.

Talk soon!

Andie XO